Fluid-actuated compressor



July 29, 1930. A STEURSI 1,771,424 t FLUID AC'IIUATED COMPRESSOR Filed Oct. 4, 1928 v VIl', l l y'/r v l/ Patented July Y29', 1930 a UNITED- s'rALrES" PATENT OFFICE AnsNn smEURs, cFBoUReEoIs-RIXENSART, BELGIUM? FLUD-ACTUATED .COMPRESSOR v y Application filed. October 4, 1928..V Serial No. 3102262, 'and in Belgium October V8, V1927.

which works by means of a Huid under pressure and which is intended to be' used especially in breweri-esin order to distribute compressed air under a constant pressure" for drawing oftz beers. This apparatus can be applied however also to other uses wherein bottles onvessels'containing compressed air lo are employed, as fcrinstance for theprojec- It haslfor its object tofurnish an apparatus of l particularly" simple' construction, adapted Ato work automatically without the help of'fl'oats and having'the great advan-` tage of avoiding any contact between the working fluid Vand the air or other 'fluid to be compressed.-

With this object in view my invention essentially'consists in the special arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described an'dpoin'ted outin` the appended claims; i

example' incross section, anapparatus constructed according to my invention.

The apparatus shown comprises a tank 1 inthe interior of which a rubber bag 2 is 30 fixed, which is adapted to come in contact with approximately the whole of theinner periphery ofthe tank l. This bag 2 which forms atght joint at its lower part with aV bottom V3, is suspended at a point 4 from a i 3 plate 5`-oscillating on pivots 6 fixed to the opening 11 which isnormally closed by ak y@ acted upon by a spring. Thisvalve 12 is disposed in a Chamber 13 which commution of colouringmaterials by means of dry' The" annexed drawing shows by" way of nicates with a delivery pipe 14. by'which the compressed air maybe delivered into a res-` ervoir or to any point where the compressed air is to be used. The head.v is provided also with a series of openings 15 forthe in-l troduction of air which openings are no r mally closed "by a rubber diaphragm 16 which offers acertain resistance'tothe adi-f mission ofthe air through the openings 15.'

The bottom 3 of the reservoir is provided with an inlet pipe 17I for a` fluid un'derpres-` sure, preferably water, and thispipe; which is provided with astop valve (not shown) extends into thespace defined by theperforated wall '7 and terminates in a ring nozzley 18 in which is adapted to be displaced a dis-` tributing piston 19`provided"1with a groove 20allowing the outflow ofthe liquidunder pressure admittedV through the pipe 17 when the piston 19 is in the` raised position shown inthe drawing. The piston 19 is connected at 21 with a valve 22 provided with a suit-A able gasket23 for instance of rubber, clos# ing an opening 24 providedin a false bottom 25. Moreover this valve 22 carries a piston 26 which is adapted to bedisplaced in a cylindrical member 27 which is rendered fluid tight below the piston 26'by`means of a rubber bag 28. `The chamber 29 'thus formed` beneath the piston 26 is in communication through a pipe 30 with the upper part of thetanlr 1 above the plate 5', in order `to equ'alizethe pressure between the chamber 29l and the upper part of the tank 1. The cham` bei" 31"formed between thek false bottom 25 and the piston 26 communicates with an outf let pipe S25-'having an appropriate section' and preferably provided with a valve con,- trollingthe flow of the water. The pipe 32is of predeterminedheightand-V is immersed into a water tank not shown ar` the wall of the tank. This initial filling is preferably done before completely assembling the 'apparatus and with the tank in upside down position. The lower portion of the apparatus is then secured to the flange of the tank, with the edge of the bag clamped between them. The apparatus is then inverted, whereupon the bag will discharge the water through the perforated wall 7 until said bag is collapsed on said wall as shown'in dotted lines on the drawing. At this moment the depression produced in the chamber 31 causes the piston 26 to rise in the chamber 27 thus closing the valve 22` and opening the admission member or piston 19. Fluid (for instance waterunder pressure) is thereby admitted into the bag through the pipe 17 and the groove 2O of the piston 19,'thereby eX- panding the bag and causing its wall to impinge against the wall ofthe tank 1, as shown in the drawing in full lines. As a result the air contained in the tank 1 is compressed and raises the valve 12 against the tension of its spring, thus permitting escape of the compressed air through the opening'll and discharge pipe 14; towards the storage tank. When the bag 2 is completely expanded, the plate 5 which acts as a lever, oscillates on its pivots and moves the valve 8 from its seat. It will be observed, that till this moment, the compressed air was `exerting its action through the pipe 30 in the chamber 29 and was keeping the piston 26 in its raised position. Consequently, opening of the valve 8 permits the escape through the opening9 of the compressed air still contained in theupper part of the tank 1 and also causes a fall of pressure to take place in the chamber 29 so that the weight of the water contained in the bag added to the action of the pressure of the water which is still admitted by the pipe 17,

on the valve 22, causes said valve to open andv ing of valve 16and produces a suction of the outer air through the openings 15, which suction acts also in the pipe 30, and thus maintains the Valve 22 in its opened position and permits the escape of the water through the pipe 32 until under the action of the depression produced by the suction column the ditributing piston 19 is again raised by the piston 26 and is thus returned to its open position sol as to again admit water under pressure to the tank whilst the valve 22 controlling the escape is closed.

It will thus be obvious that the operation of the apparatus is completely automatic and that it is adapted to act as an automatic pressure regulator for maintaining in the com- 'in combination, a tank, an eXpansible member disposed within said tank, means for admitting a fluid to be compressed between said tank and eXpansible member, means for adrmitting a fluid under pressure to said eX- pansible member thereby to expand the samel and compress said first fluid, and means automatically actuated by the expansion of said member to shut off the supply of fluid under pressure.

2. A fluid-actuated compressor, comprising in combination, a tank, an eXpansible member disposed kwithin said tank and adapted to be ,i

expanded into contact with the wall of the tank, valve-controlled means for admitting a fiuid under pressure into said expansible member, means for admitting a fluid to be compressedinto the tank at the upper end I,"

thereof, whereby the expansiony of said member' will cause the compression of said last fluid, and means operative during said compression to produce unequal pressures in the upper and .lower portions of the tank thereby to control the operation of said valve-controlled means.

3. A fluid-actuated compressor, comprising in combination, a tank, an eXpansible member disposed within the tank and adapted to be expandedinto contact with the wall ofl said tank, said tank being provided in its bottom wallwith an opening, means for admitting a fluid to be compressed into the upper portion of the tank, an air-tight chamber i disposed below said tank and adapted to communicate therewith through said opening, a piston mounted for reciprocation in said chamber, a valve rigid with said piston and" adapted normally to close said opening, a distributing valve communicating with said eX- pansible member for admitting fluid under pressure thereto, and a pipe communicating at one end with the upper part of the tank and at its opposite end with saidV air-tight chamber thereby to cause variations of pressure in thetank and chamber whereby said distributing valve is actuated to control the admission of fiuid under pressure. f

et. A fluid-actuated compressor, comprising in combination, a tank provided with an opening in its bottom, a head for closing the upper end of said tank, an expansible meinber disposed within the tank and adapted to b e expanded into contact with the wall of said tank, means in said head for admitting a iuid to be compressed between the eX- pansible membery and tank, a valved outlet in said head adapted to be opened under pressure of said expansible member, a second valved outlet in the head adapted to be opened under the expanding action of said` member when the latter has reached its limit ofeXpansion, an air-tight chamber disposed below .said tank and communicating with said bag through said opening, a piston reciprocable in said chamber, a valve rigid with said piston and adapted normally to close saidopening, a distributing piston for admitting liuid under pressure into saideX- pansible member and operatively connected with said valve, and a pipe communicating at one end with the upper part oi the tank and at its opposite end with said chamber for reducing the pressure in said chamber4 thereby to control the operation oi' said valve and pistons. 1

5. A fluid-actuated compressor, comprising in combination, a tank provided with an opening in its bottom, an eXpansible member disposed in said tank and adapted to be eX- panded into contact with the wall of the tank, Y

means for admitting fluid to be compressed into the upper part of the tank, an air-tight chamber disposed below said tank and communicating with said expansible member 'through said opening, va piston reciprocable in said chamber, a valve rigid with said piston and adapted normally toclose said opening, a distributing piston for admitting fluid under pressure to said e'xpansible member and operatively connected with said valve, a pipe communicating at one end withV the upper part of the tank and at its opposite end withv Y said chamber for varying the pressure inthe tank and controlling the operation of said valve and pistons, and an outlet pipe for the Huid under pressureV communicating with a chamber formed between said air-tight chamber and said valve, said outlet pipe being adapted to form a suction water column.

6. A fluid-actuated compressor, comprising in combination, a tank provided with an opening in its bottom, a curved perforated wall extending above the bottom of the tank and forming therewith a chamber, a head for closing the upper end of the tank, means in said head for admitting fluid to be compressed, an oscillatable plate disposed below said head, an expansible member suspended from said plate and disposed within the tank and between said plate and said perforated wall, said eXpansible member being adapted to be expanded into contact with'the wall of the tank, a valved delivery outlet in said head adapted to be opened during the eXpansion of said member, a second valved outlet in said head adapted to be opened under the expanding `action of said member when the latter has been completely expanded, a distributing pipe communicating with the chamber Vformed between said perforated wall and bottom for delivering fluid under pressure thereto, an air-tight chamber disposed below said tank, a piston reciprocable in said'chamber, a valve rigid with said piston and normally closing said opening, a distributing piston for `controlling the delivery of fluid under pressure and operatively connected with said valve, a pipe communicating at one end with the space above the plate at the upper part of the tank and at its opposite end with said air-tight chamber Vfor reducing the pressure insaid chamber and closing said distributing piston, and an outlet pipe com* Y municating with a chamber formed between said air-tight chamber and said valve, said pipe being adapted to form a suction water column.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

ARSNE sTEURs.

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v10oy 

